First Edition Cycling News for February 10, 2004

Edited by Jeff Jones

Gibo good to go

Big red train ready to roll

By Tim Maloney, European Editor

Gilberto Simoni (r) and his director Flavio Miozzo (l)
Photo ©: CN

On the way to preview Cannondale's new six13 road bike, Cyclingnews stopped at Saeco's 2004 training camp in Terracina, 100km. south of Rome for a quick visit with the troops of il treno rosso in late January. Some of the riders, most notably the musclebound Dario "Bull of Scandicci" Pieri and fireplug pal Sal "Toto" Commesso, had already departed for the Tour of Qatar, but the rest of the Saeco boys were working hard to get their legs ready for the first races of the 2004 season.

While the rocky Apennine highlands were covered with a dusting of snow, the littorale along the Tirrenean Sea was usually warm and sunny for the Saeco boys. But no one, especially tough Trentino mountain man Gilberto Simoni was afraid of a little cold and snow. So on one of the days, the Saeco men headed inland to see the uphill finish of the '04 Giro's Stage 7 at the Sanctuary of Monte Vergine. Situated in the province of Avellino, Monte Vergine is east of Naples and home of Tony Soprano's Italian relatives.

After riding the final 60km of Stage 7 with teammates Bertagnolli, Cunego, Fuentes, Mazzoleni, Sabaliauskas and Tonti, Simoni explained that, "This year’s Giro route means the favourites will have to show their cards early. After just three days, there's the stage finish atop Corno alle Scale, which is very hard. On Stage 7 there's this tough finish at Monte Vergine so the GC will be impacted early on."

Simoni continued, saying, "Even if Monte Vergine not that steep, it's not easy because it is 17km and gains 1270 metres, so it will be a real test."

Photography

Images by Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews.com

• Saeco's head sports manager Giuseppe "Martino" Martinelli confers with up and coming young pro Antonio Bucciero, looking down to his Cannondale team bike and its SRM Powermeter set-up.
• Martino and Bucciero say "hi". A lot is expected of the easy going 21 year old Napolitano Bucciero this season, who many observers (including Martino) think could be a major star in a few years.
• Gilberto Simoni (r) and his director Flavio Miozzo (l) look surprised to see Cyclingnews at his training camp...we asked Gibo if his mom's parakeet Satie had escaped yet but were assured that bird and mama were both doing well back in Palu di G
• Miozzo (l) and Simoni (c) check out Gibo's grintoso maglia rosa shot on crack Japanese sports photographer Yuzuru Sunada's (r) highly sought after cycling calendar.
• Smiling Eddy Mazzoleni has come back home. The powerful Bergamo all-rounder, who was a key lieutenant to Giro runner-up Stefano Garzelli in last year's Giro has returned to Saeco after four years on other teams.
• And away we go... Time to hit the road in Terracina
• Things sometimes get silly. Instigators Paolo Forniciari (clapping, L) and Mirko Celestino (smiling, C) award newlywed Danilo Di Luca (C) the "Saponeta d'Oro" (Golden Bar of Soap) for the worst behaviour on the day's five hour training ride.

Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie presentation

Pavel Tonkov and Stefano Garzelli
Photo ©: Olympia

Despite losing co-sponsor Saunier Duval, which has formed its own division I team this year, Vini Caldirola will return in 2004 with Stefano Garzelli at the helm again. With water tap manufacturer Nobili Rubinetterie coming on board as a co-sponsor, the squad can still boast a roster of 23 riders with the most notable new signing being Russian strongman Pavel Tonkov (CCC-Polsat). The team has lost the likes of Gianluca Bortolami, Andrej Hauptman, Eddy Mazzoleni, Fred Rodriguez and Romans Vainsteins, and while that will weaken it in the classics it should still be a competitive squad in the Giro d'Italia, which remains Garzelli's main goal.

Tonkov and Garzelli should work well together to achieve their respective goals in 2004, with the Russian pointing to the Vuelta España as his target and Garzelli wishing to beat Simoni and co. to win the Giro. Oscar Mason, Giampaolo Cheula, Steve Zampieri and ex-pro Roberto Sgambelluri will all be key men in the assaults on these two grand tours.

The team will introduce four neo-professionals: Giulio Tomi, Paolo Longo Borghini, Luca Celli and Stefano Cavallari, while also gaining the talents of Marco Zanotti (Fassa Bortolo), Mauro Zinetti (Amore e Vita), Milan Kadlec (Lampre), Enrico Cassani (Alessio) and Roger Beuchat (Phonak), in addition to Tonkov and Sgambelluri.

Garzelli's first race will be the Giro della Provincia di Lucca (February 24-27).

Photography

Images by Olympia Photo

• Pavel Tonkov and Stefano Garzelli give the thumbs up for their impending relationship in 2004
• Pavel Tonkov and Stefano Garzelli looking happy to be with each other at the Vini Caldirola team presentation in Milan

Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie team roster

First UCI road rankings of 2004

The first set of road rankings for 2004 has been issued by the UCI. Starting off the season in the number one position is Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step-Davitamon), who carries a 100 point plus lead over Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) with a further 100 points back to Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo), last season's sprint king. Thus far, the most successful rider of 2004 is Robbie McEwen, who has already accumulated 185 UCI points. Close behind him is compatriot Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros), then Robert Hunter (Rabobank), Baden Cooke (FJDeux.com) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank) round out the top five.

In the teams rankings, Rabobank has started off the season in front, followed by FDJeux.com and Lotto-Domo. However these rankings will no doubt change once all teams are in full swing.

UCI rankings as of February 8, 2004

Individuals
 
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Davitamon              2212.00 pts
2 Erik Zabel (Ger) T-Mobile Team                        2093.75
3 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo               1989.00
4 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saeco                           1726.00
5 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team              1640.50
6 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner                    1629.00
7 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca  1614.00
8 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal-Berry Floor           1521.00
9 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                        1441.00
10 Iban Mayo Diez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi               1425.00
11 Tyler Hamilton (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems          1371.20
12 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Saeco                           1344.00
13 Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Lampre                    1322.00
14 Dario Frigo (Ita) Fassa Bortolo                      1265.00
15 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team                      1258.00
16 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Saeco                          1183.00
17 Isidro Nozal Vega (Spa) Liberty Seguros              1150.00
18 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) Lotto-Domo                   1123.00
19 Francisco Mancebo Perez (Spa) Illes Balears-Banesto  1121.00
20 David Millar (GBr) Cofidis, Le Credit Par Telephone  1092.00
 
Top riders of 2004
 
1 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Lotto-Domo                         185.00 pts
2 Allan Davis (Aus) Liberty Seguros                      177.00
3 Robert Hunter (RSA) Rabobank                           164.00
4 Baden Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com                           159.00
5 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank                      126.00
6 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance                 120.00
7 Patrick Jonker (Aus)                                   120.00
8 Erik Zabel (Ger) T-Mobile Team                         120.00
9 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Davitamon                  116.00
10 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca   87.00
 
Division I
 
1 Rabobank                                               353.00 pts
2 FDJeux.com                                             314.00
3 Lotto-Domo                                             261.00
4 Quick Step-Davitamon                                   222.00
5 Ag2R Prevoyance                                        205.00
6 Liberty Seguros                                        201.00
7 Team CSC                                               171.00
8 Euskaltel-Euskadi                                      169.00
9 Fassa Bortolo                                          150.00
10 T-Mobile Team                                         135.00
10 Credit Agricole                                       135.00
 
Division II
 
1 Kelme-Costa Blanca                                     207.00 pts
2 Domina Vacanze                                         169.00
3 Oktos                                                   75.00
4 Vlaanderen-T Interim                                    63.00
5 Navigators Insurance Cycling Team                       62.00
 
Full rankings: Individuals, Teams, Nations

Gaumont questioned again

French cyclist Philippe Gaumont has been questioned again by Judge Richard Pallain in the court of Nanterre, France. The questioning took place on Monday at approximately 14:00, and Gaumont was quizzed on his involvement in an alleged illegal drug trafficking ring.

Five people have already been charged in this affair, which has centred on past and present members of the Cofidis team: Boguslaw Madejak (Cofidis soigneur), Marek Rutkiewicz and Philippe Gaumont (Cofidis riders), Robert Sassone (ex-Cofidis rider), Daniel Majewski (semi-professional).

Bad break for Timochine

Russian rider Mikhael Timochine (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) has started off his season on a bad note, crashing twice and breaking his collarbone in the GP Costa Etruschi on Sunday, which was won by his teammate Yuri Metlushenko. Timochine was first involved in a crash with Mario Cipollini, but it was his second crash near the finish line that caused the broken bone.

Verbrugghe's slow start continues

Rik Verbrugghe (Lotto-Domo) is continuing to struggle with injury in the early part of the season. He was forced to abandon Saturday's fourth stage of the Etoile des Bessèges due to his troublesome knee. He should resume racing next Sunday in the Ruta del Sol.

Another rider with knee problems is Geert van Bondt (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago), who hit one of his knees against a refrigerator recently.

The life of Lance

So this is what 'presented by' means?
Photo ©: CN

Lance Armstrong took time out from his early season training in California on January 30 to sign at Berry Floor-Alloc's booth at the recent Surfaces 2004 Floorcovering Show in Las Vegas. Here he is pictured with Berry Floor's Phillipe Harinck. Besides his trade show appearance, will Lance be spotted at the upcoming Grammy Awards with Sheryl Crow?

Due Giorni Marchigiana as pre-Olympic test

The first race in the Due Giorni Marchigiana (August 10-11) in Castelfidardo, Italy, will serve as the final race for the five man Italian team before it heads to the Athens Olympics. Italian national technical director Franco Ballerini and federation president Giancarlo Ceruti confirmed this at a press conference in Castelfidardo today, explaining that after the GP Mengoni on August 10, the team will fly directly to Athens via Ancora. It is not known whether the five will ride as a team in their national jerseys or for their respective trade teams, although the latter is likely.

Revolution 3

The third meeting of the Revolution Series looks set to be the best yet with some of Britain's top sprint stars expected to front up at Manchester Velodrome on February 28. Reigning Olympic Kilo Time Trial Champion Jason Queally will be back on home turf joined by Scottish behemoths Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean. The trio have recently returned from Australia where they have been getting some race practice against the Aussies during their winter training.

The trio will be featuring in the Team Sprint competition at Revolution 3, one of the new additions to the program which will be much more sprint focused than the previous two events. Also included are a sprint challenge and an all-star keirin, not forgetting the endurance events such as the popular derny paced scratch race and the 1km madison time trial. These events will feature Rob Hayles, Chris Newton, Tony Gibb and Malcolm Elliott, among others.

For more information, see www.cyclingrevolution.com or call the information line on 0700 594 2579.

Valley of the Sun Stage Race

The 12th annual Landis Cyclery/Trek Valley Of The Sun John Earley Memorial Stage Race will be held between Friday and Sunday, February 13-15 in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2003 over 850 cyclists competed in the event in front of an estimated 8,000 spectators. In 2004, riders will be competing for over $13,000 in cash and prizes and its expected that the top professional cycling teams in North America will attend.

The team list includes the Colavita-Bolla Professional Men's Cycling Team, featuring U.S. National Champion Mark McCormack, Australian 2004 National Time Trial Champion Nathan O'Neill and Cuban sprinter Ivan Dominguez. They will compete with last year's winner of the Tour of the Gila and Vuelta de Bisbee, local men's elite team Landis/Trek/VW. Also confirmed are seven cyclists from Team Monex, including Roberto Gaggioli.

In the pro women's field, Nicole Freedman, 2000 U.S. National Champion, along with her team (Team Basis) will compete against Team Rona, featuring Geneviève Jeanson. In addition, the world's most successful female cyclist, Jeannie Longo, will compete in the elite women's field. T-Mobile will be sending four riders, including Mari Holden and Lynn Gaggioli.

The stages

Stage 1 - February 13: Trek Individual Time Trial, Sun Valley Parkway, 12 miles
Stage 2 - February 14: Landis CycleryRoad Race, Casa Grande, 50-100 miles
Stage 3 - February 15: Carlos O'Brien's Criterium, Phoenix, 30-70 minutes

Women's Cycling Task Force achieving goals

The Women's Cycling Task Force, formed at the Yoplait Women's Cycling Summit Conferences held at the Nature Valley Grand Prix and Interbike, reports that it has already achieved a number of its goals. A core goal that came out of the Yoplait Summit at Interbike was to create a web site that could be used to accumulate and share information and to open channels of communication among women cyclists and their supporters. The site is now live at www.WomenCyclists.com.

The recently announced Women's Prestige Cycling Series was born at the Yoplait Summit at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. This women-only series will include the Redlands Bicycle Classic (March 24-28), the Nature Valley Grand Prix (June 9-13), the Tour de 'Toona/International (July 26-Aug. 1) and the Bermuda Grand Prix (Sept. 23-26).

Progress has also been made on a third goal, which is to identify and study outstanding women's grassroots programs around the USA, and then distribute that information via the Task Force website. To date, 86 programs have been identified and 40 of them are working with a Task Force subcommittee to help others around North America replicate their success. The Task Force expects to release this information on its Web site in the near future.

The next Yoplait Women's Cycling Summit Conference will be held in June at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Crank Racing 2004

Crank Racing is proud to announce its 2004 team roster. Based near Boston, Massachusetts, the team will compete in adventure races, road races, mountain bike races and several other multi-sport events up and down the East Coast of the United States. This year the team also created an incentive program to encourage members to be more active in areas of trail maintenance, charity events and community volunteer work.

Click here for the full roster.

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